A friend told me she had to give away the family cat when she was pregnant. She said one can loose the baby if a cat is living in the same house. Is this true?
2006-10-24 14:58:25 · 16 answers · asked by Ladybug NH 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
No. it is not the cat, it is their litter box. You GYNOB will be able to tell you everything you need to know and do. Keep your cat, take steps to keep your unborn safe from the litter.
2006-10-24 15:01:42 · answer #1 · answered by doris_38133 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cats and human babies
Expecting a baby and bringing a baby into your home is no reason to give away your cat. With a few precautions, all of you can live together without problems. This page tells you how.
When a woman finds out she’s pregnant, she’ll probably start asking questions about how the pregnancy and resulting baby will affect her relationship with her cat. Many young mothers may be concerned about whether a cat can be a danger to the unborn baby. The fact is, there is a danger of contracting toxoplasmosis—a parasite that can be transmitted from cat feces-- if proper hygiene practices aren’t followed. An expectant mother should change and clean cat litter boxes and food dishes while wearing disposable gloves, or, better still, another member of the family should take over this job – until the
baby stops nursing.
If you’re pregnant, tell your gynecologist that you have a cat. Have a blood test done to see whether you’re immune to toxoplasmosis. Interestingly, 40 % of women actually have this immunity. Cats who live indoors and never go outside, and who eat only prepared pet food, don’t usually transmit toxoplasmosis. (Raw meat is often a source of infection). Infection during the second half of pregnancy could be dangerous for the fetus. If a fresh infection is immediately detected, it can be successfully treated with drugs so that the baby is not in danger.
If you’re pregnant, you don't have to stop touching your cat. However, you should take precautions and wash your hands carefully after touching her, especially if you’re breast-feeding your baby.
In some cases, the cat can become jealous of the baby. This is normal. The situation is comparable to that of a small child getting a new sister or brother. Before you have your baby, get your cat used to the upcoming change. Since your cat won’t be able to lie as easily on your lap, have her get used to lying on a cushion nearby. Also, your partner or other people you may live with can be encouraged to lavish affection on your cat. This way she’ll know she’s still loved.
And, as soon as the baby can crawl, he or she will have a lot of fun playing with the cat. However, small children must be supervised until they are 7 years old!
2006-10-24 22:04:03 · answer #2 · answered by Blossom 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is not true but some doctors are ignorant on the facts of Toxoplasmosis and rather than becoming educated they tell people to get rid of their cats - which sadly means most cats are put to death in shelters because few people adopt adult cats... anyhow here is the truth
Cats CAN shed toxoplasmosis once in their life IF exposed to it from mice.. who also only shed it after they were exposed to it.. so do the math a cat probably already had it and shed it and wont shed it again OR it will never have it (if indoors and not around mice) therefore if the cat already had it the owner would have been exposed already too and therefore already been immune to it...
you can also get toxoplasmosis from meat.. but you dont have doctors telling people to give up eating meat...
you CANNOT get it from simply living in a house with a cat... its from contact with contaminated feces.. so mostly if women use gloves when cleaning the litter or have somebody else do it - its not a big deal
2006-10-24 22:08:28 · answer #3 · answered by CF_ 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Gah it's just an excuse for people to give up their pets. I have many friends who are pregnant at the moment or have small children & have cats with no problems. The only difference I'd make if I were pregnant is use disposable latex gloves when cleaning the kitty litter because if you're digging around in there you could contract toxoplasmosis but same goes for anyone. Poo is nasty so you need to be careful when disposing of it.
2006-10-25 04:19:13 · answer #4 · answered by shirazzza 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a bacteria called toxoplasmosis that is bad for a developing fetus **if the mother has her first exposure to the baceria while pregnant.** If you ever cleaned a catbox for a indoor/outdoor cat or spent lots of time with cats growing up you probably have already been exposed. You can have a test done to confirm your exposure before you start shipping the kitty away.
2006-10-24 22:32:34 · answer #5 · answered by Joyce T 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The danger is not the cat... it is the dirty litter. The by-products of cat pee (eg ammonia) is bad for anyone to inhale. It is worse for a pregnant woman to inhale... Solution, get your hubby to clean the litter. Also cats are Territorial so keeping the cat out of a newborn baby's room is critical. There have been instances of cat's severely scratching babies or accidentally suffocating the child.
2006-10-24 22:30:43 · answer #6 · answered by sibohan2004 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cat feces is dangerous to a pregnant woman please have someone else clean the cat box . I have had cats when i was pregnant and never changed the box always had someone do it for me but them just living in the house should not be a problem
2006-10-25 10:51:14 · answer #7 · answered by kim12074 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no not at all I was surrounded by 4 cats when I was pregnant the only thing you must not do is change or even touch the litter box let the hubby do that.
2006-10-24 22:42:26 · answer #8 · answered by cutiepie81289 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its not the cat...it is the bacteria in the litter box. Get someone else to change the litter box, or at the least, wash your hands thoroughly...
2006-10-24 23:00:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, not true. Stay away from the litter box though,have someone else clean it.
2006-10-25 06:02:15 · answer #10 · answered by Deerrunner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋